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Part 7 - POPBONSAI Friends

"Bonsai and ceramics gave me a hand when I had the hardest time in my life."
- Lisa Tajima, creator of POPBONSAI

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Click to Enlarge Babo-chan - POPBONSAI by Lisa Tajima

bonsaiTALK: Lisa, we usually don't often see trees and plants walking around a lot. Your pots give them a very animated, expressive character. Is that how you see the plants, or even yourself? Where are they going and where are they coming from? Where are you headed yourself?

Lisa Tajima: I also hadn't seen any walking bonsai 'til I made POPBONSAI in 1999!  In the POPBONSAI world, they dance and fall in love and do sports, play games and go out for eating and drinking and having good time! I still can't remember why I gave them feet, maybe my dad did it!  In this world, there are many living things hat can't walk any more because of problems. Little babies sometimes lose their lives before or after they're born - hunger, disease or some other catastrophe. People lose their living bodies by war, violence, accident or some other reasons. I am not religious person, but I believe their spirits and souls are living somewhere near us.

Now I am living and walking and playing with little trees! We should have good time if it is possible but, in fact, it is not possible for everybody in the world. Sometimes I feel my POPBONSAI pots' feet are like a requiem. When I make POPBONSAI pots with feet I don't think a lot - I just enjoy making them, then naturally new ideas appear. It is just a wonder. One more thing: I really love to read Peanuts comic strips, I love Snoopy, Charlie, Woodstock, Rerun, Pigpen, Spike, and everybody in their world.

 bT: Do you name all your bonsai? I am thinking of Babo-chan, the Japanese Maple...

Lisa Tajima: Yes, I do, because they are my friends!  When I see trees living along heavily trafficked roads in a big city, I sometime wonder, "If they could move, where would they want to go?"  Some trees might run away to the forest or countryside but some might stay right there, I think. Like us, there might be rural-life-loving trees and urban-life-loving trees, I guess. I don't know the truth though: trees don't talk, so we can't ask them, "Where would you like to live?" It's really a pity.

For so many years, human beings have been doing so many things without asking -- mean caring -- about nature and animals. We do so many things just for our convenience. That's one reason why so many crazy, sad diseases and phenomena have been occurring, I think. 

Bonsai taught me a lot of things. They look controlled in nature, but they are very wild little trees. Because trees gave me a chance to think about various things, I wanted to do something with (and for) trees and joined this Children's Forest Program. I am supporting elementary school in the Philippines.

[ Ed: - For details on the Children's Forest Program, please check this site: http://www.oisca.org/e/index.htm ]

bT: Bonsai is often described as good therapy.  I'm glad you were able to find comfort in bonsai after the loss of your father, and your friend.

LT: Losing a precious person is sad. There are no words to explain it; however, we have to look up and walk ahead. I decided to keep doing my creation, "POPBONSAI," for myself and for the people who are no longer with me. Bonsai and ceramics gave me a hand when I had the hardest time in my life till then, so I should not forget them and should live with them, I thought.

Everything happened in 1999. I learned a lot in that year and grew up a little. This story may sound too dramatic for some people - too personal, and too long! The reason why I didn't tell this story before is I worried to be edited and bent the meaning. This time, since we're on the Internet, we have more space than printed media, I thought, and I wanted to tell you entire story how POPBONSAI was born.

All right, let's go back to traditional bonsai talk!

Continued...